[Steel Kitchen Knife LV.0: 89% (Made of stainless steel, high hardness, average sharpness.)]
Chen Hao stared at the knife in his hand, repeatedly using his supernatural powers to strengthen it, hoping to develop a useful trait.
After all, he was running low on food at home, and monsters were roaming outside.
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He urgently needed to strengthen his strength so he could go out in search of food and survive in this apocalyptic world.
Three days ago,
a massive meteorite suddenly appeared on Blue Planet, obscuring the sun. Immediately, a surge of energy knocked him unconscious.
When he awoke,
the outside world was shrouded in a bloody mist.
Only cries and screams echoed through the air.
Chen Hao had no idea what had happened, but his house was infested with over a dozen mosquitoes the size of two fingers and cockroaches the size of a palm.
After killing the mosquitoes and cockroaches, he heard the screams coming from upstairs and dared not leave the house.
Until now. Fortunately,
he discovered three days ago that he had awakened his superpowers, gaining the ability to consume physical and mental energy to enhance various objects.
However, because he had used his superpowers for the first time three days ago, he had exerted
too much force
, enhancing an item to Level 1 in one go, which consumed both his physical and mental energy. He
spent the day lying in bed
and eating a lot before recovering.
The kitchen knife in his hand was the second item he had enhanced with his superpowers.
As for the first item he enhanced, it was a stainless steel fruit knife, which had developed a difficult-to-evaluate trait.
[Guaranteed Hit Fruit Knife Level 1: 0% (Made of stainless steel, high hardness, average sharpness.)]
[Trait 1: Guaranteed Hit (Thrown, guaranteed to hit the target.)]
This trait on a fruit knife is a bit of a waste.
If it were on a gun or bow, it would undoubtedly be a god-level trait.
However, if used as a throwing knife, this trait could be considered quite powerful. As long as he had enough strength, he would be sure to hit the target.
But there was a prerequisite. The thrown fruit knife couldn't be too far off the mark. For example, he might be looking forward but throwing the fruit knife backward. However, as long as the fruit knife was thrown directly at the target, even if it missed by a meter or two, it would still hit the target. This was because the fruit knife would automatically curve in mid-air and fly towards the target. The power of the fruit knife depended on his strength and the fruit knife's inherent lethality. While the fruit knife was fine as a concealed weapon, it was not as effective as a conventional weapon, and its lethality was slightly lacking. This was also the main reason Chen Hao turned to strengthening the kitchen knife. After all, the fruit knife was only used to test the effects of his supernatural power; a truly lethal weapon still had to be a kitchen knife. Chen Hao continuously expended his physical and mental energy, condensing it into a special energy that flowed into the kitchen knife, strengthening it. He named this special energy his supernatural power emanated from his supernatural power. Furthermore, any item strengthened by his supernatural power could be revealed simply by inputting his supernatural power. Before long, with his continued input of supernatural power, the kitchen knife's strengthening reached 100%, undergoing an instantaneous transformation. [Sharp Kitchen Knife LV.1: 0% (Made of stainless steel, high hardness and sharpness.) [Feature 1: Sharp (This knife is incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through hair.)] Chen Hao looked at the information on the kitchen knife and couldn't help but beam with joy. He ignored his frail body and quickly tested the knife's sharpness. Sure enough, the somewhat blunt knife had become incredibly sharp, much sharper than when he first bought it. Its lethality had increased significantly. He was just hoping to forage for food and acquire powerful weapons to enhance his skills. The lethality of the knife in his hand was clearly not strong enough, making him feel insecure. He didn't have enough food to level up again. Unless... he ate the mutant mosquitoes and cockroaches he'd killed three days ago. The problem was, all the electronics in his house were broken, including the refrigerator. The remaining cool air inside had almost completely dissipated. The dead mosquitoes and cockroaches he'd put there three days ago were probably already rotten, and he didn't know if they were still edible. After a moment's thought, Chen Hao pulled the corpses of several mutant insects from the refrigerator. He sniffed them. The smell was truly indescribable. After a moment's internal struggle, Chen Hao finally made up his mind. They were just mosquitoes and cockroaches; they'd still be crispy if fried. The mutants might even taste better. With these mutant insect carcasses, he could upgrade his kitchen knife, which would undoubtedly increase its power. Soon, using his gas tank, Chen Hao had fried a dozen mutant insects until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, exuding a faint aroma.
He ate a mutant mosquito and found it quite tasty.
As long as he could get over the mental barrier, it was a good source of protein.
After Chen Hao had sated himself and regained some strength, he continued strengthening his kitchen knife.
In a blink of an eye,
another day passed.
He continued to strengthen the knife intermittently, finally upgrading it once more.
[Sharp Kitchen Knife LV.2: 0% (Made of stainless steel, with high hardness and extremely sharp edge.)
[Characteristic 1: Sharpness (This knife is incredibly sharp, can cut through iron like mud.)]
Chen Hao tested it and found that the kitchen knife had indeed become incredibly sharp.
Cutting through iron like mud!
With one stroke, he cut the TV in half from top to bottom, leaving a deep scar on the wall.
If he used this to chop a person, a human head would probably be no different from a watermelon.
Most importantly,
he could continue strengthening it.
Chen Hao had expected the kitchen knife to gain new characteristics after upgrading, but unexpectedly, it only made it even sharper.
This was a good thing for him, after all, the characteristic of sharpness was very powerful.
With this precious sword in hand,
Chen Hao finally felt confident enough to go out and forage for food.
Not long after,
he taped two books to his chest and back, giving himself a bit of defensive power.
Then, holding a fruit knife in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, he walked to the door and peered through the peephole.
After confirming it was safe,
he cautiously opened it.
Chen Hao half-opened the door and peered outside. A faint mist of blood shrouded the corridor, but no monsters were visible.
He walked out, then thought for a moment before closing the door.
His Longteng residential complex, though located on the edge of Tianyang City's Nanhu District,
offered excellent views thanks to its proximity to Nanhu Lake. All twelve buildings within the complex were high-rise, single-family structures.
Building 1, for example, had thirty-two floors,
two elevators, and four units.
On the sixteenth floor, where Chen Hao lived, there were three other households besides his own.
While he didn't know all three families well, he had a general understanding.
His target was the family of the mischievous kid in 1604, hoping to get some food and a toy gun for his power-ups.
He remembered that the naughty kid in that family had a lot of toy guns, and when he had nothing to do one day, he would take his toy guns and shoot at people everywhere.
He had been shot by that naughty kid with a BB bullet toy gun in the elevator before.
It was very powerful.
He still remembers it vividly!
The key is that the family are unreasonable people, and you can't do anything about them.
He had suffered a lot of trouble with such a neighbor.
Fortunately, his house was 1601, next to the elevator and stairwell, and separated from the other three families by an elevator corner.
Although there were many frictions with the naughty kid's family, most of them were out of sight, out of mind.
Chen Hao looked at the faint blood mist in the corridor, and carefully walked to the corner to take a look.
Seeing that there were no monsters in the corridor at the corner, and the doors of the other three families were closed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He carefully walked to the door of the naughty kid's house and knocked tentatively.
Roar!
A roar echoed from within the house, followed by a loud bang from the door, as if something had slammed against it.
Then, a continuous scratching sound
could be heard, as if something were scratching at the door with its claws. The constant roaring and scratching confirmed that
the person inside was not human.
Chen Hao wondered what monster was inside, but he hesitated before giving up. After all
, if the monster inside couldn't even break through the door, it couldn't be that strong either.
This was a good opportunity to see what the monster looked like.
Chen Hao glanced at the other two quiet households, then took out his kitchen knife and chopped at the wooden door.
With one strike,
he easily cut through the thick door.
Under his sharp knife, the door felt like paper, and a few cuts had carved a fist-sized hole.
In an instant,
a scaly claw poked out from the hole, startling Chen Hao and causing him to take a step back.
He took a closer look.
The claw poking out of the hole was stained with blood.
It looked like a child's hand, but covered in black scales, its five sharp claws razor-sharp.
They scratched around the hole, leaving a trail of claw marks.
Chen Hao listened to the monster's roars from within the house. Seeing it couldn't hurt him, he stepped forward and slashed at the claws.
The knife fell,
instantly severing the monster's claw at the wrist.
Dark-red blood flowed, and the scaly claw fell to the ground.
The monster within the house withdrew its severed arm in pain, roaring angrily.
Then, the sound of banging on the door intensified. The mindless monster thrust another claw out of the hole.
Chen Hao, of course, wasn't going to hold back. With two strikes, he chopped off another claw.
Without a claw,
the monster within could only roar and pound on the door.
But the thick door was resolute, showing no sign of being broken open.
Chen Hao peered through the hole and could only vaguely make out the shape of the monster inside.
He figured the monster inside was probably a mutant of that naughty kid, a seven or eight-year-old child no taller than the hole in the door.
Without hesitation,
he cut a new hole under the door.
The monster inside, understandingly, leaned its head toward the hole below, its maw wide open and fangs wide, roaring at him.
Seeing the monster struggling to get out, Chen Hao quickly said, "Don't worry, let me widen the hole a little." As
soon as he finished speaking,
a black bone spur pierced through the door, narrowly missing him. Terrified
, Chen Hao slashed with his sword, instantly severing the spur before it could retract.
He took two steps back, still a lingering fear at the foot-long bone spur on the ground.
It was so close.
If the door hadn't been thick enough, the monster's bone spur would have pierced him.
Chen Hao glanced at the monster still struggling to get out of the hole, his cold eyes filled with chill.
He said nothing,
merely silently widening the hole in the door a bit.
As the monster struggled to squeeze its head through the hole, he unhesitatingly beheaded it with a single blow.
Dark red blood spurted out, but he dodged it in time.
The monster was dead.
The corridor instantly grew quieter.
Chen Hao peered through the hole in the door, but saw no other monsters.
He knocked again, deliberately making some noise.
There was no movement from inside either.
After confirming there were no monsters inside, Chen Hao quickly hacked away at the lock.
He pushed the door open, revealing the corpse of the monster blocking the way.
The monster lay in a pool of dark red blood, its body covered in tiny black scales, and a meter-long spike at its tail vertebrae.
Including the section he had severed, the entire spike was about a meter long.
Although he had chopped off its head and claws, the tattered, blood-stained clothing
and its shape made
it clear it was the brat.
Chen Hao glanced inside the house, only to see the living room smeared with blood, with bits of flesh and bones scattered about.
The ground was bloody.
No other monsters were visible.
He entered the house and found two broken heads.
He could vaguely make out the old woman who had taken advantage of her age.
And the mother of the naughty child, a shrew who cursed loudly.
But things are unpredictable.
They had both died at the hands of their own grandchildren and sons.
Although Chen Hao had a grudge against this family, seeing this scene made him feel a sense of sympathy for his own kind, a sense of grief for the loss of a rabbit.
Power!
In this apocalypse,
he must possess great power to prevent himself from becoming food for the monsters!
After a while.
Chen Hao took the monster's head and claw spurs inside, closed the door, and examined the corpse.
The scales on the monster's body were incredibly tough, resembling fish scales, yet far stronger.
Its fangs and claws were razor-sharp, and the meter-long spurs possessed immense penetrating power. Had he not exploited the door lock's location, the outcome would have been uncertain.
" This is..." Chen Hao gazed at the peanut-sized blood-red crystal in his hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He had found this blood-red crystal in the monster's brain after dissecting it with a kitchen knife. It looked about the size of a peanut, but it wasn't very firm to the touch, resembling rubber or jelly. Based on his old-school experience, this thing was likely something good. Probably an energy crystal of some kind, he suspected, which could enhance his supernatural powers. Chen Hao put the crystal away and thoroughly dissected the mutant's body, finding nothing. He had just quickly looted the house, searching for toy guns, food, and other supplies. It had to be said. The kid's family probably loved to stockpile food, so they had plenty. There were a half-dozen bags of 50-jin (150-kilogram) rice, a large bag of noodles, and a freezer full of bacon, some of which hadn't yet thawed. There were also dozens of eggs. There were also quite a few other vegetables like potatoes and cabbage that hadn't gone bad. Add to that various snacks and seasonings like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, and he could easily last a month. Even though his enhanced abilities required a large amount of food to recharge, it would still keep him going for a long time. Although he only had a small half-bucket of water, he had plenty of running water at home, so he wasn't short of water for the time being. This was thanks to the tap water he'd connected to since waking up four days ago. Even though the water supply had been cut off soon, it would still keep him going for quite a while. ... not long after, Chen Hao had carried all the supplies back home and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no other monsters had come to his floor, otherwise he would have been in danger after spending so much time outside. He had reaped a good harvest this time, both in terms of food and supplies, especially the blood crystals. Chen Hao looked at the cleaned crystal in his hand and put it into his mouth without hesitation. Although he wasn't sure if it was edible, with monsters everywhere outside, he had to take the risk. He also figured the crystal was edible. As the crystal went down his throat, Chen Hao soon felt a warmth in his stomach, a warmth spreading through his limbs and bones, rapidly absorbed by his body. A few minutes later, as the warmth dissipated, his strength increased significantly. Chen Hao clenched his fists, feeling a surge of power, and his body visibly grew stronger. Clearly, the crystal contained abundant energy, making him stronger. While it wouldn't directly enhance his enhanced superpowers, it would actually improve his physical strength. After all, using his superpowers consumed both his physical and mental energy. With a stronger physique, his superpowers would naturally become stronger, eliminating the need to waste time recovering even the smallest bit of superpower. After a while, Chen Hao familiarized himself with his own strength and retrieved the various toy guns he had obtained from the naughty kid's house. Compared to other weapons. Firearms, long-range weapons with high lethality, were naturally his first choice. While he didn't have a real gun, a toy gun could be strengthened a few times, simply consuming a bit more supernatural power. After all, his supernatural power could enhance the materials of items. With a few strengthenings, a toy gun could become a real gun, and even more powerful. Chen Hao looked at the various toy guns of all sizes on the floor. Some were made of plastic, while others were realistic metal. The bullets varied as well. Some were plastic beads, the BB bullets he'd played with as a child. Others were soft plastic bullets, with a bullet and a shell. In terms of power alone, the BB bullet toy gun was undoubtedly the most powerful. At close range, it could shatter the ground and break glass within several meters. It hurt like hell, but the only drawback was that it couldn't fire continuously, requiring manual reloading for single shots. While the soft plastic bullet toy gun could fire automatically, its power was very weak, and it wouldn't hurt at close range. Chen Hao pondered for a moment and decided to prioritize strengthening the BB bullet toy gun. Although this type of gun cannot fire continuously, it is very powerful, and most importantly, bullets are easier to obtain. He found two large bags of BB bullets at the kid's house, at least thousands of them. There was also a bag of six-millimeter steel balls, the same size as the BB bullets, with about a hundred or so, probably for the kid's father to play with. More than a hundred steel balls are enough for him temporarily, and he can also strengthen the BB bullets after they are used up. It will also be easier to obtain steel balls from other places in the future. After all, these six-millimeter steel balls are sold in general hardware stores. It is easy to obtain bullets. The bullets of plastic soft bullet toy guns are different. There are only dozens of them in total, and it is difficult to find replacements after they are used up. He has to strengthen them into usable bullets first, otherwise they are useless.
Having made his decision,
Chen Hao set the six BB guns aside.
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These six toy guns were all pistols: four plastic pistols and two black metal pistols.
The two plastic pistols lacked magazines, instead releasing marbles from a small opening on the gun body, holding about a dozen or so.
Without a doubt,
the two metal guns were the most suitable for strengthening.
After all, metal pistols were undoubtedly much stronger than plastic ones.
Furthermore, the two metal pistols were similar models, each holding fifteen marbles, a relatively large ammunition capacity.
The magazines were also interchangeable.
Chen Hao picked up a metal pistol and began strengthening it. The pistol's information instantly appeared.
[BB Gun LV.0: 1% (Metal toy pistol, effective range six meters, maximum range twenty meters.)]
As he continued to input his supernatural power, the toy gun's strengthening level rapidly increased.
His physical and mental strength rapidly depleted with the continued use of his supernatural powers.
Before long,
before Chen Hao completely collapsed, the toy gun's enhancement finally reached 100%, undergoing a complete transformation.
[Stink Bomb Toy Gun LV.1: 0% (Metal toy pistol, effective range ten meters, maximum range thirty meters.)]
[Feature One: Stink Bomb (The pellets fired from this gun emit a foul odor that lasts ten seconds.)]
"..."
Chen Hao looked at the toy gun's characteristics, knowing it was probably useless.
He tried to remove the magazine and load a steel ball.
Bang!
He fired into the wall, creating a small hole.
The steel ball fell to the ground,
emitting a strong stench.
Chen Hao watched the steel ball rolling on the ground, taking in the overwhelming stench. He quickly wrapped it in a piece of paper and threw it out the window.
The lingering stench in the room made him nauseous, and he couldn't help but dry heave twice.
This stench.
It smelled like a rice paddy fermenting for days in a sealed environment, or like rotten eggs or smelly socks.
It was unpleasant.
After Chen Hao opened the window to dissipate the stench, he finally felt better.
Gazing at the blood mist outside, he realized that the Stink Bomb toy gun wasn't entirely useless.
If it were enhanced a few times, to heighten the stench of the marbles, few creatures would be able to tolerate it.
Especially for creatures with a keen sense of smell, this Stink Bomb toy gun would be more effective than anything else, practically a poison gas bomb.
The key point was that it killed a thousand enemies but injured eight hundred of its own.
It shouldn't be used lightly.
Chen Hao pondered the Stink Bomb toy gun's potential and decided to enhance it a few more times when he had time.
For now,
the Stink Bomb toy gun's properties were of little use, so it just sat in a corner, gathering dust.
A few hours later,
Chen Hao ate something to recover his depleted energy, then moved on to enhancing another metal toy gun.
Thanks to the energy crystals, his physique had been significantly enhanced.
Previously, even enhancing a fruit knife would exhaust him, leaving him lying in bed for most of the day.
Now, he could easily enhance a whole metal toy gun at once.
This demonstrated the power of energy crystals.
After Chen Hao decided to enhance a toy gun with greater lethality, he went hunting mutants, acquiring energy crystals to strengthen himself.
Soon,
the metal toy gun in his hand underwent a transformation, and a new characteristic appeared.
[Red Dot Toy Gun LV.1: 0% (Metal toy pistol, effective range ten meters, maximum range thirty meters.)]
[Characteristic One: Red Dot (A marble-sized red dot appears where the muzzle is pointed.)]
Chen Hao picked up the pistol, and sure enough, a red dot appeared in his sight.
He moved the muzzle,
and the red dot followed it,
like an additional red dot sight .
While this characteristic wouldn't guarantee perfect accuracy, it significantly increased his accuracy.
After all, while others relied on experience to shoot, he simply needed to align the red dot with the target.
Next,
Chen Hao enhanced two more pistols, but neither yielded any significant characteristics, effectively rendering them completely useless.
He stopped wasting time and focused his attention on the Red Dot Toy Gun,
preparing to upgrade it a few more levels.
...
In the blink of an eye,
two more days passed.
Chen Hao looked at the brand-new black pistol in his hand, his face filled with joy.
[Red Dot Pistol LV.3: 0% (Pistol with red dot sight, effective range 40 meters, maximum range 120 meters.)]
[Feature 1: Red Dot (A red dot appears where the muzzle is pointed within the effective range, and a white dot appears outside the effective range, with the color becoming lighter with distance.)]
He tested it and
found that the Red Dot Pistol's power was almost as strong as that of an ordinary pistol.
A single shot into the wall left a deep hole.
Crucially, compared to other pistols, this gun has very little recoil and sound, estimated to be only half that of an ordinary pistol.
The red dot feature has also been significantly optimized during the upgrade process.
Now, whenever he holds the red dot pistol, he can determine whether the target is within effective range based on the changes in the red dot.
Effective range
means that the accuracy and power of the bullet will not change significantly after firing.
Beyond effective range, the accuracy and power of the bullet will drop significantly, and the difference becomes more pronounced at longer distances.
Maximum range is the maximum distance the bullet can reach.
If the target is beyond the pistol's maximum range, the white dot will become very faint, making it easy to identify.
...
Soon after,
Chen Hao held a sharp kitchen knife in his left hand and the red dot pistol in his right.
In his left pocket was a spare magazine filled with steel balls, and in his right pocket was a fruit knife.
He was fully armed.
Chen Hao glanced outside through the peephole and, seeing no danger, opened the door and walked out.
His target was still his neighbor, and he planned to clean up the sixteenth floor first.
He checked the stairwell and saw no people or monsters before heading towards the other two households on the sixteenth floor.
His three neighbors, besides the naughty kid's family, were the newlyweds in room 1602 and the fisherman in room 1603.
However, he was only acquaintances with them, a general acquaintance, not a close friend.
Speaking of which,
Chen Hao had even enjoyed the wedding candy from the newlyweds in room 1602 two weeks ago.
He walked up to room 1602's door, knocked, and called softly, "Is anyone inside? If not, I'm coming in."
He knocked several times, but there was no movement from inside.
"I'm breaking in,"
Chen Hao finally shouted. Just as he was about to chop the lock with a kitchen knife, a man's voice rang out from inside, "We don't have any food at home. Go find someone else."
Though the voice was quiet,
Chen Hao recognized it as Xu Zhiqiang, the man in room 1602.
Seeing someone inside,
he turned without a word and walked towards room 1603.
As he reached the door, he heard the sound of claws scratching at it.
"Mutant?"
Although no roaring sounded, the sound of claws scratching at the door was not something an ordinary person could produce.
Chen Hao patted the door tentatively and called out, "Is anyone inside? I'm coming in." As
soon as he finished speaking,
the scratching sound of claws against the door intensified.
Chen Hao used his old trick again, using a kitchen knife to carve a fist-sized hole in the lower part of the door, using it to fire his gun into the room.
In an instant,
a blood-red eye appeared in front of the hole, staring directly at Chen Hao, as if ready to devour him.
Without hesitation, Chen Hao fired at it.
A woosh!
Blood splattered everywhere.
The unknown creature inside the room was decapitated by his bullet.
Uneasy, Chen Hao fired several more shots from the hole. There was no more movement.
He peered into the room and saw that the creature he had killed seemed to be a cat, albeit a rather large one.
He patted the door again, checking for any other living creatures.
There was no movement.
He cut another hole in the door and peered inside.
After ensuring there were no living creatures inside, Chen Hao broke the lock and pushed the door open.
He peered inside.
Standing before the door was the corpse of a tabby cat, the size of a local dog.
Several bloody holes pierced its body, oozing bright red blood.
Clearly,
this cat had also mutated.
Chen Hao shot the mutant cat in the head, just in case it wasn't dead.
Seeing the cat show no reaction, he confidently entered the house.
After a thorough investigation,
he found no humans or corpses.
However, there was a broken fish tank in the living room, with fish scales and bones scattered on the floor.
A broken fish head also appeared to belong to a mutant, sporting a mouthful of sharp teeth.
After ensuring there was no danger inside, Chen Hao closed the door.
A moment later,
he found a peanut-sized energy crystal within the mutant cat's head. It was identical to the one in a mutant human's head,
though slightly lighter in color.
Chen Hao looked at the energy crystal in his hand and quickly washed it with water. He
happily put it away.
Then he quickly looted all kinds of supplies in the house.
It was a pity that there was not much food in the fisherman's house, less than one-tenth of the amount in the naughty kid's house.
There was only half a bag of rice, half a bag of noodles, and a large bag of wild mushrooms.
There were quite a few other seasonings, probably because the fisherman often cooked fish.
Fortunately, the fisherman's family also used a gas tank, and there was still a lot of gas in the tank, so he would not lack gas for cooking for the time being.
There were also two and a half barrels of bottled water, which was considered a good harvest.
Not long after,
he moved all the supplies from the fisherman's house back to his own home, and all kinds of supplies filled the second bedroom.
After putting the supplies away.
Chen Hao was about to eat the blood crystal when he heard a knock on the door and a gentle female voice:
"Brother Chen..."
Hearing a sound,
Chen Hao walked to the door and peeked out through the mirror.
He saw a beautiful woman outside the house, wearing a purple long dress. The cleavage on
her chest was unfathomable, and the whiteness of her breasts was about to burst out. There was also a man next to her. It was his neighbor, the newlyweds in 1602.
Chen Hao couldn't see clearly through the peephole, so he simply opened the door.
Xu Zhiqiang and Lin Yuerou outside saw the door open, and just as they showed joy on their faces, they saw Chen Hao holding a gun.
Their faces changed involuntarily.
Chen Hao glanced at Xu Zhiqiang and then set his sights on Lin Yuerou.
Lin Yuerou had the beautiful face of a mature and queenly woman. She
had a gentle temperament.
Her beautiful face looked a little pale, lacking much blood color, but it made her look even more pitiful and fragile.
Most importantly,
Lin Yuerou had an excellent figure, a slender branch bearing fruit.
The purple long dress made her look even more charming.
"Xu Song is right, purple is truly charming," Chen Hao thought, gazing at the stunning Lin Yuerou.
Seeing Chen Hao's unbridled scrutiny of Lin Yuerou, Xu Zhiqiang's expression faltered. He stepped forward, pulling Lin Yuerou behind him, and forced a smile.
"Brother Chen Hao, we've been neighbors for so many years. I even spoke up for you when you had a fight with the family in 1604..."
Chen Hao, disinclined to listen to Xu Zhiqiang's emotional sparring, said directly,
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Seeing this ,
Xu Zhiqiang abandoned his prelude and pleaded, "We're out of food at home. Your sister-in-law and I have been hungry for two days. Could you lend me some food?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back later, or I'll buy it from you. I have ten thousand yuan here. Just give me something to eat."
He pulled a wad of bills from his pocket, looking at him hopefully.
Chen Hao didn't even glance at the banknotes in his hand. It was the end of the world, and this thing was too hard to even wipe his ass with.
He glanced at the two of them, but didn't refuse outright. Instead, he smiled and said, "We're all neighbors. It's just some food. Wait, I'll get it for you." With that, he
closed the door, leaving the two of them staring at each other outside.
Xu Zhiqiang thought Chen Hao was playing a trick on him, and his face turned pale. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he stared at the closed door.
If he hadn't been eavesdropping at the door and observing through the peephole when Chen Hao had killed the mutants and the mutant cats,
and had visited the two neighbors afterwards, he would have known that Chen Hao was no pushover and that the gun in his hand was probably real.
Why would he be so humble and even drag Lin Yuerou along to beg Chen Hao?
He hadn't expected
Chen Hao to be so ruthless, not even giving him, a neighbor, the slightest respect.
Just as Xu Zhiqiang was raging with frustration, the closed door suddenly opened.
Chen Hao opened the door, holding a freshly cut piece of mutant cat meat. He saw Xu Zhiqiang's face grim and Lin Yuerou's expression downcast. They couldn't help but ask, somewhat puzzled,
"What are you doing?"
Seeing him holding a fist-sized piece of meat, Xu Zhiqiang quickly smiled and said, "It's okay, brother, are you giving this to us?"
Chen Hao nodded. "Yes, you guys can eat this meat first. We're all neighbors, and I'll definitely help you if I can."
He naturally wouldn't say he wasn't sure if the mutant cat meat was edible and wanted them to test it for poison.
Xu Zhiqiang took the meat from Chen Hao, his face instantly lit up with joy, and he thanked Chen Hao profusely.
He even tried to give Chen Hao money, but he flatly refused.
After the two left,
Chen Hao ignored the incident and returned to his room, where he took out an energy crystal and ate it.
After a while,
after digesting the energy crystal, he felt his physical strength improve slightly.
He didn't know if it was due to his improved physique or the lighter color of the energy crystal, but
the increase in strength this time wasn't as noticeable as before.
It was probably only half as effective as last time.
Chen Hao had some suspicions about this, but didn't think much of it.
After familiarizing himself with his own strength, he walked out of the room again, gun in hand.
This time,
his target was the residents upstairs, primarily hunting mutants and beasts.
Chen Hao climbed the stairs to the seventeenth floor and saw a mutilated corpse in the hallway at the entrance, most of the flesh eaten away.
There was also a lot of blood in the hallway.
Sensing that a monster might have escaped, he immediately became more cautious.
Holding his gun, Chen Hao carefully stepped over the corpse and walked to the corner of the elevator to check.
Fortunately, there were no mutants or beasts in the hallway behind the corner.
The doors of the residents on the seventeenth floor were all closed, which made him feel relieved.
Chen Hao knocked on each door to confirm the situation inside.
Soon,
he had a general understanding of the situation on the seventeenth floor.
Only one of the four households on the seventeenth floor was occupied.
Two of the other three households were completely silent, and he wondered what was happening.
There was movement in the remaining house, but it was made by a mutant, and he was very familiar with that unique roar.
In front of Room 1703,
Chen Hao listened to the roars from within and
expertly cut a hole in the door with a kitchen knife.
He'd barely made a small hole, the size of an egg, before he could expand it.
A black tentacle instantly emerged from the hole and charged at Chen Hao.
The tentacle's tip had a suction cup, covered in sharp fangs.
Fortunately, the hole in the door wasn't large; even if the tentacle had forced itself slightly wider, it would have only extended about half a meter before being wedged in the hole.
Chen Hao, prepared, avoided being bitten by the tentacle's fangs.
He watched the tentacles twitching rapidly against the door, but didn't dare to advance with the kitchen knife.
He shifted his red-dot pistol to his right hand and, without a word, fired at the tentacle.
It was a direct hit.
Before he could reload and fire again, the tentacle retreated in pain.
Chen Hao aimed at the hole and fired, striking the tentacle monster within.
Perhaps it was because he missed a vital point, or perhaps the tentacle monster was incredibly resilient
, his attack didn't kill it. Instead, it seemed to enrage it, and the sound of its tentacles lashing against the door continued to echo.
Chen Hao fired continuously at the hole, bullets pelting into the room.
Through the hole,
he could vaguely see the monster.
Most of his bullets hit the tentacle monster, and black blood could be seen flowing out.
The tentacle monster couldn't reach him and tried to extend its tentacles from the hole, but his shot struck the suction cup at the tip of the tentacle.
The bullet shattered its fangs and
instantly sank into the tentacle.
The monster, in pain, retracted its tentacles and raged helplessly inside, lashing against the door and roaring in anger.
Chen Hao fired continuously, quickly emptying a magazine.
He quickly replaced it with a spare and continued firing through the hole.
The tentacle monster inside was incredibly resilient; he'd already emptied an entire magazine, yet still hadn't killed it.
Peering inside from the cave entrance,
he could see the tentacle monster not far from the door. It was quite large, and most of his bullets went to it.
A moment later,
Chen Hao saw the monster disappear from the doorway and immediately stopped firing.
He didn't move,
but instead reloaded both of his magazines.
The monster inside appeared to be seriously injured and didn't dare to appear before the door again to be shot.
Chen Hao peered into the house from various angles through the cave entrance. Seeing no monster, he quickly cut a small hole in another part of the door, increasing his field of vision.
However, there was a hallway cabinet in front of the door, so he could only see part of the living room.
The tentacle monster had disappeared somewhere, no trace of it could be seen.
Only faint chewing sounds could be heard from inside, as if the monster was eating.
Chen Hao wondered what the tentacle monster was thinking. To be in the mood to eat at this moment was truly a sign of contempt for him.
Could it be...
that the monster could recover from its injuries through eating?
An idea surfaced in Chen Hao's mind, and the more he considered it, the more likely it seemed.
After all, a proper monster wouldn't go off to eat while fighting.
After some thought,
Chen Hao enlarged the hole in the door a bit, making it the size of a fist, giving himself more room to fire.
Otherwise, the hole was too small,
making it difficult for him to hit the monster's vitals.
Chen Hao aimed his gun at the hole, the red dot in his sight hovering over the approximate area of the monster's head.
If the monster reappeared, he could shoot it in the head.
Not long after,
the tentacle monster reappeared in his sight, moving toward the door.
Chen Hao shifted his gun, and a red dot appeared on the monster's head.
Bang!
A shot fired.
The pellet passed through the hole and instantly sank into the monster's eye.
In an instant,
the tentacle monster's other blood-red eye dimmed, and its body collapsed to the ground.
Chen Hao looked at the fallen monster inside the house and, just in case it wasn't dead, fired a few more shots into it.
Then, he probed inside, broke down the door, and walked in.
The moment he entered,
he fired two more shots into the tentacle monster's head.
After all, he had just glanced at it and saw that the gunshot wound on the tentacle monster had healed.
Even the suction fangs on the top of the tentacles had recovered.
With such a strong recovery ability, he couldn't help but be careful.
To be on the safe side.
After he finished shooting, he chopped off the monster's head with a kitchen knife.
After confirming that the monster was completely dead, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the tentacle monster's corpse carefully.
He saw that the tentacle monster seemed to be a mutant, with black scales on its body and a mouth full of sharp fangs.
However, its height reached two meters, and its hands had turned into tentacles.
The tentacles were about two meters long, and in addition to the suction fangs on the top, there were three suction fangs on each tentacle.
If he was caught by the tentacles, he would probably lose a lot of flesh and blood in an instant.
Chen Hao checked the room, making sure there was no danger before closing the door.
A moment later,
he found a peanut-sized energy crystal inside the tentacle mutant's head.
Unlike the crystals he'd previously harvested, this one was incredibly hard, like a real crystal. It
was clearly superior to the rubbery, jelly-like crystals.
After putting the crystal away, Chen Hao surveyed the hellish scene in the living room.
Bones and flesh littered the floor, blood staining it red.
Judging by the several shattered heads and the mahjong machine in the corner, the men had likely been playing cards.
But when the blood mist descended and the tentacle monster mutated, the others perished.
One of the mutants, whose shattered head lacked a crystal, had
clearly
become food for the tentacle monster. Just as
Chen Hao was about to search the house, he heard a loud bang at the door.
He looked inward
and saw a mutant dog pounding violently against the door, pushing the debris he had propped against it slightly open.
"Looking for death."
Chen Hao raised his gun and fired without hesitation, hitting the mutant dog.
Aww!
The mutant dog ran away in pain, disappearing from Chen Hao's sight.
Only a whimpering sound was heard, and soon there was no movement.
But Chen Hao was certain that the shot had missed its vitals.
Judging from the part of the mutant dog that had just been exposed, it was probably the size of a calf. He didn't think he could kill it with one shot.
This was a bit of trouble!
Unless there were any unexpected events.
The mutant dog outside didn't seem as irrational as the mutant man, as evidenced by its ability to dodge his attacks.
Chen Hao peered through the hole in the door. It was quiet outside, and he wasn't sure if the mutant dog had left.
After a moment's thought,
he smashed a mirror inside, took a long, thin piece, and walked to the door, using it to observe the outside.
As he thrust the mirror shard through the hole in the door, the mutant dog bit it off.
That beast,
actually, was guarding him outside!
The mutant dog, seemingly aware of its exposure, growled softly outside.
But it must have been wounded by Chen Hao's shot and didn't dare reappear.
Chen Hao's eyes flashed coldly at the mutant dog's growl.
He didn't act rashly,
silently reinforcing the door with miscellaneous items to ensure the mutant dog couldn't force its way in any time.
Then he recovered the steel balls that had been fired into the room. He
washed the energy crystal.
Chen Hao examined the crystal-clear energy crystal in his hand. Given its hardness, he wasn't sure if it was still edible.
After all, he tried to pinch it, but it wouldn't budge.
After a moment's thought,
he began using his supernatural powers to strengthen the crystal.
...
After a while,
perhaps because of the rich energy contained within the energy crystal,
he expended nearly half his physical and mental strength to strengthen it to even 1%.
A message appeared:
[Energy Crystal LV0: 1% (A crystal rich in energy. After ingestion, there's a 1 in 10,000 chance of awakening and rapidly restoring supernatural powers.)]
Chen Hao looked at the message on the crystal, his eyes thoughtful.
As expected,
his supernatural power could detect item information.
However, the crystal's name matched his expectations, so he wondered if it was just a coincidence.
Although Chen Hao was eager to see what changes and properties would appear after strengthening the energy crystal to LV1,
he had already expended nearly half his physical and mental strength to only strengthen it by 1%.
To reach LV1, it would probably take more than two weeks.
He didn't have that much time to waste on this crystal right now.
Besides,
he needed to become stronger and kill the mutant dog blocking the door.
Chen Hao noticed the word "eat" on the energy crystal.
Guessing it was edible,
he put the energy crystal directly into his mouth.
It melted in his mouth.
The energy crystal turned into a warm current that went down his stomach, spreading out and flowing throughout his body.
Chen Hao only felt that the physical and mental strength he had consumed when strengthening the crystal just now was recovering rapidly.
He thought about it. He
directly took the red dot pistol and began to strengthen.
As he used his superpowers, the physical and mental strength he had consumed was restored in an instant by the warm current in his body.
Only then did Chen Hao realize that the energy crystal had this effect. He
just didn't know if all crystals were the same, or if the one he ate was special.
In a flash of thought,
Chen Hao did not stop strengthening, and the strengthening degree of the red dot pistol increased rapidly.
He didn't need to worry about his own physical and mental consumption. With full strength strengthening, he upgraded it to level four in less than three minutes.
[Red Dot Pistol LV.4: 0% (Semi-automatic pistol with red dot sight, effective range 80 meters, maximum range 240 meters.)]
[Feature 1: Red Dot (A red dot appears where the muzzle is pointed within the effective range, and a white dot appears outside the effective range, with the color becoming lighter with distance.)]
[Feature 2: Burst Fire (This pistol can automatically load pellets, firing bullets with a single trigger pull, eliminating the need for manual reloading.)]
A brand new look!
Chen Hao gazed at the black pistol in his hand, his eyes filled with joy.
The pistol had a new feature.
It had transformed his manually reloaded pistol into a semi-automatic pistol. In terms of power, its effective range of 80 meters was far superior to that of ordinary pistols.
After all, ordinary pistols only had an effective range of around 50 meters, while the Desert Eagle could only reach over 100 meters. Most importantly, the Red Dot Pistol had become a semi-automatic pistol, allowing for rapid emptying of the magazine without the need for manual reloading. As the warm current within him faded, Chen Hao felt his physical strength grow considerably stronger. He guessed. His strength now was probably about twice as strong as it was a week ago. He felt like he could kill a cow with a single punch. While it was just an illusion of a sudden surge in strength, he could clearly feel the improvement in his physique and strength. Most noticeably, his body had become much stronger, with abdominal muscles appearing, and his entire body was brimming with strength. Chen Hao clenched his fists, figuring he could even go head-to-head with the mutant dog outside with a kitchen knife. However, he had a gun, so he didn't have to put himself in danger.
Chen Hao glanced at the door, which was blocked by debris. He walked over to clear it, then flung it open and stepped back.
The door swung wide.
The mutant dog outside couldn't help but growl and instantly rushed in.
Bang, bang, bang!
Chen Hao opened fire without hesitation. The mutant dog had no room to dodge, and was instantly struck by multiple bullets, leaving several bloody holes in its head.
In a flash,
the mutant dog let out a scream and fell before Chen Hao.
Chen Hao quickly emptied his magazine, then paused his attack, replaced it with a spare, and surveyed the body on the ground.
The mutant dog was motionless, its head a bloody mess from the blows he'd made.
Its body was the size of a calf, its yellow fur stained with blood, and its mouth full of sharp fangs looked incredibly sharp.
Like a mutant cat,
the mutant dog's blood was bright red, not the dark red or black blood of a mutant.
And unlike a mutant, it still had some sense, unlike a mutant's mindless nature.
It was incredibly bloodthirsty.
Chen Hao used a kitchen knife to chop open the mutant dog's head and retrieved the energy crystal within.
It was also the size of a peanut.
However, it wasn't the hard crystals found in the tentacle mutants.
Instead, it was similar to the crystals found in the clawed mutants and mutant cats. It was
soft,
though a darker blood-red, even darker than the clawed mutants.
It wasn't hard to tell.
The darker the energy crystal, the richer its energy.
The hard crystals in the tentacle mutants contained several times more energy than the soft ones.
It seemed to have evolved once.
Recalling his previous suspicions, Chen Hao washed the crystal and ate it.
A warm current surged through his body.
Without hesitation, he began to strengthen his red dot pistol, draining his energy and spirit.
After a while,
he paused.
Compared to the tentacle mutant's crystal, the one he had just consumed could restore his strength,
but at a much slower rate, not comparable to the previous one.
It could only restore some,
but not much.
Chen Hao speculated that this was due to the tentacle mutants' ability to recover quickly.
The energy within that crystal also possessed a restorative effect, allowing him to quickly recover both his physical and mental strength.
Ordinary crystals, however,
only served to increase strength.
Their restorative effect was too weak, practically better than nothing.
After a while,
the warm current within Chen Hao's body dissipated, and his strength grew a bit stronger.
As night fell,
he scavenged some food from the house and dragged the mutant dog's corpse downstairs.
These mutant beasts were enormous, and their flesh and blood were likely rich in energy, so he naturally wouldn't let them go.
After all, his powers
demanded a great deal of food.
High-energy meat would more easily replenish his body's energy, saving him from wasting time digesting the food.
It all depended on whether
the mutant beast meat was edible.
Chen Hao dragged the mutant dog back home and brought back the supplies he had found on the seventeenth floor.
He then fell into deep thought, pondering how to assemble some defensive equipment.
The threat from the mutant dog had made him realize his defensive abilities were insufficient; a close approach from the monster would have been fatal.
If he had had defensive equipment, he wouldn't have been blocked by the mutant dog.
He could just walk out of the house and let him know what the truth is.
Defensive equipment.
The first thing he thought of was clothes.
If he could strengthen a set of clothes with stronger defense, his survivability would definitely increase greatly, and he would not be afraid of monsters getting close to him in the future. Otherwise,
as long as the mutants or mutant beasts get close to him, they can just hit him with their sharp claws and teeth.
If he doesn't die, he will be crippled.
After a while,
Chen Hao picked out a few suitable sets of his clothes and pants.
In fact, he didn't have much to choose from, after all, he only had two or three sets of summer clothes and winter clothes for replacement.
He directly discarded the short-sleeved shirts that could not protect his arms.
There were not many choices.
Fortunately, his old clothes could still be worn, so he could make do with it.
Not long after,
he began to strengthen his clothes.
Perhaps it was because his physical fitness had greatly increased, and the material of the clothes was relatively simple.
Soon, a long-sleeved T-shirt was strengthened to level 1 by him.
[Long-sleeved T-shirt LV1: 0% (White, pure cotton long-sleeved T-shirt, extremely comfortable to wear.)]
[Feature 1: Comfort (This shirt is extremely comfortable to wear, warm in winter and cool in summer, with a constant internal temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.)]
Chen Hao touched the shirt and found that its material had become like silk, with a warm yet cool feeling inside.
However, this characteristic of increased comfort was not what he wanted.
He put the T-shirt down.
He continued to enhance other clothing.
Soon, he enhanced another piece, one with thermal insulation properties, offering excellent warmth.
He tossed it aside.
Time passed
...
and in the blink of an eye
, a day had passed.
Chen Hao had enhanced quite a few pieces of clothing, including pants and shoes, but most of them were comfort and warmth properties.
Only one black jacket and pair of jeans possessed the toughness property.
[Tough Jacket LV1: 0% (A relatively thin black jacket, made of very tough material, with strong defensive power.)]
[Trait 1: Toughness (This garment is very tough and not easily damaged, offering some resistance to blade and puncture damage.)]
The same went for the jeans.
Although the jacket wasn't hooded and offered no head protection,
it was still a good idea to create a piece of defensive clothing, and having it was better than nothing.
Chen Hao focused his attention on the toughness-enhancing clothing and pants, constantly using his supernatural powers to enhance them.
Before long,
he had just upgraded his clothing to LV2, significantly increasing its defensive power.
There was a knock at the door, and Shui Yuerou's gentle, regal voice rang out:
"Brother Chen..."
Hearing the voice,
Chen Hao walked to the door and peered through the peephole. He
saw Xu Zhiqiang and Lin Yuerou again.
He guessed
they'd finished the mutant cat meat he'd given them yesterday.
After a moment's thought,
Chen Hao opened the door, looked at the two outside, and smiled faintly, "Are you here because you've finished the meat yesterday?"
Lin Yuerou nodded sheepishly.
Xu Zhiqiang, standing next to him, gave Chen Hao a flattering smile and said, "Brother, you know, we were hungry for two days, and yesterday we couldn't resist and ate it all..."
Chen Hao interrupted, "Did you feel any discomfort after eating the meat yesterday?"
"No,"
Xu Zhiqiang looked at Chen Hao in confusion, his expression slightly changed. "Was there something wrong with the meat?"
"Nothing, it's just cat meat, and they say cat meat isn't very tasty, so I wanted to ask you how it tasted,"
Chen Hao said, shaking his head
.
Xu Zhiqiang looked much more relaxed and said, "It tastes okay, quite delicious."
Chen Hao looked at the two people who looked fine, and immediately realized that the mutant cat meat should not be poisonous and can be eaten.
This shows
that other mutant beasts should also be edible if there are no accidents.
"Brother, can you lend us some more food? If you need me in the future, I will definitely not say no." Xu Zhiqiang looked at Chen Hao and smiled flatteringly.
Chen Hao thought of the two mutant beast corpses in his home, so he said in embarrassment: "Brother Qiang, it's not that I don't want to help you.
It's just..."
Xu Zhiqiang's heart sank when he heard this, thinking that Chen Hao was going to refuse.
Then he saw Chen Hao continue:
"Although we are neighbors, it's the end of the world now. You know how precious food is. I can't always feed you, right?"
Chen Hao saw that the two people looked depressed, and changed his tone and said with a smile:
"But..."